In July and August 2024, Ms. Jelena Janevska undertook a secondment at KDZ as part of the LoGov project. During this period, she successfully finalized the LoGov White Paper for Work Package 1, which focuses on Local Responsibilities and Public Services. Additionally, she contributed to the organization of the final LoGov Conference and engaged in bilateral discussions with KDZ staff.
Ms. Janevska delivered an insightful presentation to KDZ’s staff on participatory budgeting practices within Macedonian municipalities, particularly through the implementation of community forums. She provided a comprehensive overview of how these forums, which began in 2006 in three municipalities, have since expanded and become institutionalized across all Macedonian municipalities.
The community forums have significantly enhanced municipal collaboration with citizens, fostered trust, increased public awareness of the importance of civic engagement and accountability, improved transparency in municipal operations, and strengthened democratic processes.
Ms. Janevska further elaborated on the budget forum process, emphasizing its focus on planning municipal budgets for the upcoming year, where citizens actively contribute to decisions regarding priority budget programs and their subprograms.
She also highlighted the pivotal role played by NALAS’ member, the Association of Municipalities ZELS, in institutionalizing community forums. This included efforts in training and certifying forum moderators, developing a model for amending municipal statutes to formalize community forums as a means of citizen participation, and supporting municipalities in the implementation and promotion of these forums.
Ms. Jelena Janevska serves as the Programme Director for the Network of Associations of Local Authorities of South-East Europe (NALAS). She has over 24 years of experience in development cooperation, including needs assessment, strategic planning, program design, project management, capacity building, communication, and knowledge management.
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